


Open Skate

by fleurlb



Category: Atypical (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Ice Skating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:35:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21679108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleurlb/pseuds/fleurlb
Summary: Casey and Izzie end up somewhere new on a Friday night.
Relationships: Casey Gardner/Izzie
Comments: 6
Kudos: 152





	Open Skate

Izzie was driving them around aimlessly, when Casey realized where they were.

“Oh, turn here,” she said, pointing to a narrow, dimly-lit road that curved off into what looked like nothingness. Trees lined the road and formed what looked in the dark like an ominous arch. 

Izzie wrinkled her nose and frowned. “Here? What are you, a serial killer? Is this where you leave me for dead?” 

“Nah, look around. Waaay too many witnesses,” joked Casey.

Izzie shrugged and turned on the blinker, then eased the car onto the narrow road and followed it around to a long, hangar-like building and a brightly lit parking lot that was half-full of minivans. “Forestwood Ice Skating Rink. How'd you even know it was here?”

“Believe it or not, I took figure skating lessons for two years.” Casey leaned back in her seat and regarded the building with a nostalgic grin.

“I'm not sure I can believe it.” Izzie parked between a minivan and a station wagon. 

“It's true. Elsa wanted to dress me up in sparkly dresses with the puffy skirts, but that was never happening. Figure skating was her clever loophole.”

Izzie leaned against the door and looked over the Casey. “Did you like it?”

“Not really. Definitely hated the dresses. But I loved going fast. And I wanted to play hockey.”

“I can see your dad going for that.”

“He did. He even built a rink in the backyard one winter, but I went a little too fast one day and gave myself a concussion. Elsa freaked out and that was the end of that.” Casey's smile was rueful.

“I've never been ice skating.”

“No way. We have to fix that!” Casey looked at the clock on the dashboard and then craned her neck to examine the sign in front of the rink. “Look, we're just in time for the open skate.”

“I don't know about this, Newton. Seems like a good way to break a leg. Crowley will kill us if we hurt ourselves ice skating.” 

Casey puffed out a breath and rolled her eyes. “What Crowley doesn't know won't hurt her.” 

Izzie laughed. “But I have no idea what I'm doing. And I'm afraid to fall.”

“I won't let you fall,” promised Casey as she reached out for Izzie's hand. A moment passed between them and Izzie leaned forward for a quick kiss. 

“Or we can just sit here and do this.” Casey smiled against Izzie's lips. 

“We can do this later. You've convince me to try ice skating. Let's go before I change my mind.” Izzie pulled back and grinned, and Casey knew she'd follow her anywhere. 

\--//-- 

Casey led Izzie, wobbling on the skates, over to the entry of the rink. Little kids darted past them, and Izzie clutched Casey's hand. 

“Newton, I'm really not sure about this. Maybe you go around a few times, show me how it's done. And I'll wait right here. On solid ground.”

Casey opened her mouth to protest, then changed her mind. It had been a while since she'd been ice skating. It probably wasn't a bad idea for her to make sure she remembered what she was doing. She squeezed Izzie's hand before letting go.

“All right, that sounds like a good plan. You're going to be jealous of all the fun I'm having and want to join me in no time.”

Izzie gave her a little wave and stepped past the entry to stand on the rail. Casey stepped up onto the ice and narrowly missed colliding with a kid in a hockey helmet. She dodged him gracefully and started gliding on the ice as though her last lesson had been a few days ago instead of more than half her life. 

As she increased her speed, she remembered what she'd loved about skating. She remembered the freedom and effortless motion. She also remembered how to do a hockey stop, so she tried it out and grinned as her skates created a satisfying little cloud of shaved ice. She looked back at Izzie, who gave her a thumbs up. 

The rink seemed smaller than she remembered, and she was soon around it and back to where Izzie was waiting.

“C'mon in, the ice is fine.”

“You're really good at it. I think maybe I'll just hang here instead.”

Casey tilted her head and pursed her lips. “What? No, c'mon. You have to at least try it.”

Izzie tried to stare Casey down, but in the end, she laughed and shrugged. “Okay, fine, go around one more time and I'll wobble my way onto the rail.”

Casey glided off, keeping an eye on Izzie as she took small steps over to the rink door. She seemed to steady herself with a deep breath before stepping onto the ice and shuffling to the wall. A few obnoxious hockey brats zoomed to close to her, and Casey wanted to race over and yell at them, but she held back because Izzie was okay and hadn't even seemed to notice the kids. 

Casey came around the rink and slowed down until she was nearly stopped next to Izzie. “What's a wobbly girl like you doing in a place like this?”

“Funny, I've been asking myself the same question.” Izzie turned away from the wall, keeping one hand on it. Casey reached out and took her other hand. 

“The important thing to remember is to bend your knees. And relax. Don't worry about falling. Push back one foot at a time, small movement, and try to glide. ” 

Izzie squeezed Casey's hand and let go of the wall. Her first attempt was a wobbly mess, and only Casey's quick reflexes saved them from collapsing in a heap.

“Okay, Bambi, that wasn't too bad at all. Keep trying. You're going to get it.”

Izzie laughed. “You're such a liar.”

“Me? Never! Starting something new is hard. You're doing great.”

And so they made their way in slow tentative circles while small kids raced past them. Izzie got more comfortable and improved slightly with each lap, and Casey soon found herself relaxing and enjoying the time.

\--//--

“Newton, this is fun and all, but I'm getting cold and tired.”

“Okay, we can stop and get some hot chocolate.” 

“That sounds like a great idea. There's only one problem. I have no idea how to stop.”

Casey laughed. “What worked for me when I was learning was to slow down enough to crash safely into the wall.”

“Yeah, you haven't changed much, have you?” Izzie smiled. 

“No sense in changing perfection,” replied Casey as she slowed them both down and steered them to the rink door. Izzie stepped out first, nearly crashing into a short, curly-haired girl. 

“I'm sorry, it's my first time. I have no idea what I'm doing,” said Izzie. 

“Izzie?” said a familiar voice behind the girl. 

Casey's brain felt like it was working in slow motion as she tried to process what was going on. “Evan?”

And it was, Evan and some girl Casey didn't recognize, holding hands, wearing skates, about to step onto the ice until Izzie had stumbled into them. 

“Casey! Good to see you. Izzie...” Evan trailed off but then recovered. “This is Jenna. I met her in paramedic class. And this is Casey and Izzie.”

Jenna's eyes widened slightly before she smiled politely at them and gave a little wave. Casey wondered what Evan had told her about them, but she covered it with a grin. 

“How's that going for you?” asked Casey, aiming for casual. Nothing to see here, just some old friends bumping into each other at open skate. 

“Good, yeah. Everything's great. Surprisingly,” replied Evan. Jenna smiled up at him, and Casey had the feeling that they'd been together for awhile. She wasn't jealous, exactly, it was something else. Some subtler feeling that she couldn't quite put her finger on. 

“Well, we should probably,” said Izzie, looking over at Casey with concern. 

“Yeah, us too,” said Evan, stepping past them and onto the ice, Jenna following behind him. 

Casey followed Izzie over to the benches. She sat down and took a deep breath to clear her head. 

“You okay,” asked Izzie as she sat down next to her, close enough that they were touching. Casey leaned into her and smiled when Izzie put her arm around her. 

“Yeah, I'm fine. Just weird. We haven't talked in a while, I guess, but I had no idea he was seeing someone.”

“It's normal to be a little jealous.”

Casey turned her head to meet Izzie's eyes. “I'm not jealous. It's something else. I don't know. Disappointed maybe, that he didn't tell me. I thought we could be friends after....everything.”

Izzie took her hand. “That's also normal...probably....mostly?”

Casey laughed. She pressed a kiss onto Izzie's forehead before easing away. “That's me. Normal....probably...mostly. Don't worry, I'm fine. I have zero regrets.” 

Izzie's smile reassured Casey. “Okay, then let's get our shoes back and warm up already.”

/end

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in love with this show and am so happy that these two ended up together. First try at writing them, but I doubt it will be the last. If you have any prompts, I'd love to hear them.


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